The Shinobi World

It's been quite some time since I started my Altissia speedrun, and I'm finally at the last world on my list. Although each one so far was fun and I've been successful in getting everything I need available for purchase in the pavilion, the amount of techniques, jutsus, items, etc... I'm looking to get from The Shinobi World outweighs everything I've gotten thus far...

'It all makes sense though...the techniques all Travelers (who ascend) use most often will definitely be the strongest and most diverse...so me having a huge list of techniques from TSW, a few martial arts from TFNs, and maybe some bending if I have the extra Raven Coins, and a TON of items from Minecraft, is not too surprising. In fact, I would assume that if other Travelers had the amount of Raven Coins I have, they would have a similar shopping list...'

I walk into the Gate of Worlds to enter the last world in Altissia that I haven't experienced, and the final world I need to enter before earning the qualifications to ascend.

I'm very familiar with the building layout and traffic flow here, so it didn't take long for me to find the designated tele pad and attendant Seraph for TSW. Notably, there were very few people in this area....even less than usual as many of the hardcore divers have already ascended and are fighting it out in Dome City.

"Hello, can I please have the introduction ticket for TSW?..." asked the Seraph to which she nodded and placed a ticket in front of me...

"In case you didn't know miss..." the Seraph continued with a smile before I could pick up the ticket...

"Introduction tickets for the 'hardcore-difficulty' worlds are not the same for lower difficulties. The biggest difference is that these tickets will not give you an introduction to the world itself, like the one for Minecraft or Among Us or even TFNs, but are more specific and often change depending on the current timeline, world situation, previous knowledge of the Traveler, etc..."

"Essentially, introduction tickets for 'hardcore-difficulty' words, or The Shinobi world, in this case, are special and each time you dive you may receive a completely different ticket...Also, you are only allowed to draw one ticket before you dive into TSW...I'm sorry for any inconvenience, please enjoy your trip to another world...."

The Seraph finished her speech with a slight bow and charming smile, turning to welcome the next person nearby while I walk off in a daze, holding my ticket...

'If there is one thing I love about my new life in Altissia, it's that every day I find something new...even in The four Nations, I found something new and exciting often...'

My thoughts began to drift again to the past but I quickly reigned in my thoughts and whispered to myself..."come on Chastain, get a hold of yourself...that was your past life.....*sigh* it's time for you to try and move on..."

....

Although she felt it was cold-hearted, she steeled her expression and firmed her will.....she vowed to never forget but to move on....or at least try her best to stop living in the past. There was too much life to live and worlds to see...

Placing the "special" ticket to her forehead while standing near the TSW tele pad, her vision darkened before she found herself sitting in a wooden chair in total darkness...

There was a dangling metal light overhead, shining light in a conical shape down onto the alone Chastain...it was reminiscent of those old police shows where the detectives would interrogate their suspects...

After a little effort, she found that she could move normally, feel, see, hear, speak....everything. but she could not stand up from the chair....it was a creepy feeling as she felt like someone or something was watching her from the darkness that surrounded her...

Minutes passed with no movement, and just before she was going to scream out for someone, a light turned on approximately ten feet in front of her showcasing the exact chair she was sitting in, except it was empty...

.....

One could see two hanging lights shining on two wooden chairs in the dark space. One chair was taken by a beautiful black-haired caucasian woman with brown eyes, high cheekbones, and tan skin....she was dressed in a two-piece black outfit that she has grown accustomed to...

The other chair was empty...

The stationary woman looked expectantly at the empty chair as distant footsteps began to sound....the sound became louder and louder from the direction behind the empty chair, and eventually, a tall and imposing silhouette came into view...

He had orange spiked hair, pale white skin and was draped in a black robe with red clouds embroidered throughout the article of clothing. These were all ignored, however, as a few distinct characteristics were highlighted in her mind...overwhelming his unique clothing.

He had....purple eyes. The eyes were mesmerizing and intimidating, and had concentric rings starting from the center...they emitted power and pressure the likes of which she has never experienced in any world she's visited thus far...

The only thing that came close was Aang's eyes when he used the avatar state, but even then.....it could not even be compared...

Piercings littered his body, at least every part she could see, and it gave a lot of character to the unknown man ....only adding to his vicious and mysterious aura.

He gracefully sat down in the chair opposite her and crossed one leg over the other, his eyes never wavering from hers for even a second...

She's never heard of such a character in TSW, although she read a little about an organization with red clouds as their emblem..... that was by only one diver who was killed easily by a team wearing the garb, nothing specific...

'Oh sh]t no, I remember now!....' thought the woman in the wooden chair...

' When I was catching up on the news after returning to Altissia, I saw an interview of Raven Oscars....the thumbnail also had a handsome man in similar clothing...I should've watched that interview...maybe I can watch it quickly after leaving this introduction' the beautiful woman lamented while shaking her head, refocusing on the mysterious man in front of her...

"um...excuse me, can you tell me about The Shinobi World?..."

Silenced reigned for a few seconds before a deep and resonating voice filled with power sounded out from the purple-eyed man...

"The Shinobi world of ours is.....pathetic. Religion, ideology, resources, land, spite, love, or just because. No matter how pathetic the reason, it's enough to start a war.....and many wars there have been..."

"Once..... the land of fire and the leaf had grown too big...to protect the nation's interests they forced feudal clans to wage war on one another...and profited from it. Otherwise, the people of the villages would have starved..."

"Smaller nations, like my own, became the battlefield where the great nations waged their war..."

By the time the last sentence was spoken, his voice dripped with venom as he continued thereafter in a light, depressing whisper...

"Each time they did, our nation was ravaged and laid to waste...after many such battles, the great nations stabilized....while our smaller nations suffered, and they barely recovered..."

"Everyone feels the same pain in losing something or someone dear, I can see that you and I have both experienced that pain..."

"I am just an ordinary man who was driven to seek vengeance in the name of justice, such justice will only breed further vengeance and trigger a vicious cycle of hatred..."

"Right now, The Shinobi World lives in such a cycle....this world of ours is ruled by hatred, and hatred alone...."

His words resonated with Chastain, as tears welled up in her eyes however, the man seemed unfazed as if the tears of a mortal are of no consequence to him.

"It was for one of these reasons that my parents were killed right before my eyes...by shinobi of the Hidden Leaf...it was because of their love that I was born and because of that same love, so was my hate born...thus, I comprehended the truth."

The man spoke slowly and with an ever-increasing firmness...

"...and when one comprehends, one knows pain. Only by entering The Shinobi World can you understand a little of my pain..."

The man moved suddenly but with grace, he lifted his right arm, extending it out and raising his palm to face the startled woman...before she could even respond he continued...

"Learn to embrace the fear of losing someone dear, the feeling of true pain... because when I had nothing and no one - I always had pain."

"ALMIGHTY PUSH"

....

Chastain's consciousness was flung back into her body with shocking force, she fell on her butt in front of TSW's tele pad panting heavily...one would expect her to be startled but, as an experienced and veteran Traveler, she's seen too much...

With a smile growing on her lips, she wiped the tears from her eyes and hopped to her feet, running quickly to the tele pad...

'I can't wait to experience having power like that...he felt like a god...'